WHAT DO I KNOW? S1E06 MOLLY AND BAZUU SET TO PERFORM AT KICC! A DIALOGUE...

Read More

GHETTO CHILD_THE ULTIMATE EXHIBIT OPTIMISM AMIDST CHALLENGES

Read More

STUDENT OF THE YEAR!

 

Optimism, hope, a longing for a brighter sun is what engulfed the whole world, perhaps even the entire universe as we counted the dragging days of 2020. You could see the empty streets mid March, thinking it would only take a few weeks then we'd be back. October, November, December 1st...11th...21st...31st curfews were still on. Thankfully, we can now say this in past tense. Even though the virus is still among us, our resilience has paid off. The cautiousness has helped us curb the menace. We are not afraid, and we shall overcome. Yes, even though we mourn the loss of loved ones, decry the loss of jobs and curse the disruption of our economy, we are standing tall to this giant, ready for a fruitful 2021 against all odds, HAPPY NEW YEAR! There are BETTER DAYS ahead!

Our physical lessons were interrupted as the students had to travel home due to restrictions. Thankfully, a few would be comfortable to continue with the virtual lessons. However, things were never the same or as thriving as we had envisioned while we were doing a post like this last year. The paradox though is that this is the year we have done more especially on the output of the Music Production as well as increasing our visibility. Our social Media handles are doing well as we get more inquiries from potential clients. For all your comments, clicks, following and support in whichever way, we want you to know that we are grateful and that you matter to us. Thank you.

Well, this post is about recognizing our outstanding student. The disclaimer is that all our students are always great, and for this year, they formed a great support team through their hard-work the zeal to know more, submitting assignments despite the challenges we experienced. Below is a conversation we had with our Student of the year, Tina Kasia- an accountant by profession.

Which Instrument did you learn?

Tina: Guitar

Why did you choose the above instrument?

Tina: A general interest. Sounds great.

How did you come to choose DMA?

Tina: I found the lessons to be ideal and class schedules are very flexible.

What can you say about our mode of instruction?

Tina: Professional and friendly.

Were your expectations met? 

Tina: Yes

Explain

Tina: I had been longing to play the guitar from a professional point of view. The training has aligned my skill.

Share any general comments for our readers

Tina: The instructor is very professional and has a yearning to teach. Makes you feel comfortable.

 

We applaud Tina for the award, and we'll be glad to give her a full set of new acoustic strings plus a guitar cable upon her certification.

As the new  unfolds, remember that you're never alone. We'll be here bringing you great tunes, fabulous lessons, inspirational stories as well as leadership captions. WE ARE TOGETHER IN THIS!!

 

Read More

WAKE UP! IT'S MORNING

Bishop TD Jakes Addressing Entrepreneurs 

“I hear people from outside talk about opportunities in Africa more than I hear Africans talk about opportunities in Africa…the globe today is ready for your Idea,”

NunuNtshingila, the Regional Director Facebook Africa pointed out this truth during SOAR AFRICA 2019 as she stood up to address enthusiastic entrepreneurs.

SOAR AFRICA is a platform for African Leaders to get peer mentorship, knowledge sharing and executive engagement that embraces servant leadership. 5^th-6^th September 2019 mark the inaugural dates for the event that has been the talk of the day at least by many in the country for the past one month. The event brought together admirable leaders not only in the business world but also from the Public as well as the Spiritual aspects of life. 

The main speaker being Bishop TD Jakes from the US, the audience were surely blessed by his colleagues of the day including Strive Masiyiwa, Joshua Oigara (KCB), Sylvia Mulinge(Safaricom PLC), CS Fred Matiang’I to mention but a few.

There had been a fuss all over the media about the charges to the event but some of us just chose to focus on the main thing, which was, “SOAR AFRICA.” I was not going to afford this summit but was positive that at least I could get some nuggets of wisdom even if it meant through leaked videos or the social media titbits. 

You can imagine the joy when I got a message to express interest in attending the summit through the YALI alumni email. KCB had decided to sponsor a few of us. That is one of the mails I normally respond to first, doing the necessary before asking questions. Doesn’t Steve Covey advocate for pro-activeness in his 7Habits of Highly Effective People?

Let’s just say I had to attend this no matter the circumstances. I had been down with a fever and I once thought about cancelling my travel plan but… Years ago I read a book with a title “THE PRINCESS WITHIN” by Sarah Jakes which made me admire the man, her husband. I looked forward to becoming a resilient husband, open and honest as well as God-fearing. 

So, when an opportunity comes to hear and see the man you read on paper and/or watched on electrons, what more can one ask? The fact that he is a man of God showing the world that business can be clean and money after all was meant to serve man and not the other way is inspirational and maybe for once…I had to pause because I think the statement needs its own sentence break.

For once, young Christians (and even believers of other religions) have evidence that being religious is not a license to foolishness and poverty as it is always shoved down our throats right from primary school by some who believe in nothing. 

According to TDJ, the success of a nation is like a table. The four legs are Entrepreneurship, Religion, Political Leadership and Technology. Knock any of them off and there you have a crisis. He advocates for an inclusive society where children, the youths and the elderly are part of the cake baking process.

I could see the passion he has for Kenya and the longings for the rising of the black continent. We danced to the beat led by the stamping of his foot encouraging Kenyans to start marketing their products.

“Success is no longer a local Idea…business is a brand. A brand is a promise…a promise is built on trust. Make it easier for people to trade with you…It is not about who’s next…find people who do what you can’t…collaborate…” 

A few months ago, during the National Youths and Devolution Summit, the speakers emphasized on the need for young people to advance from noise to voice. TDJ called on Kenyans to channel their energy into marketing their products because,

“We (outside Kenya) need your products, we need your music, your normal to us is amazing…the wind is right for your dream…wake up! Wake up Kenya, it’s morning!”

To sum up this write-up, my salutation goes to Joy Wachira, the founder of SOAR AFRICA for dreaming big and helping us get the motivation we needed to forge ahead. To KCB and the Yali Fraternity, one day books will be read as people overseas will be looking for the formula that made Africa arise, these titles shall be remembered.  Meanwhile, let me finish reading my copy of SOAR authored by Bishop TD Jakes. You can order it online at Amazon 

A section of young Entrepreneurs after the summit

Dear reader, thank you choosing to read this post under Art4Leadership with sponsorship of Dowe Music &Arts. We endeavor to highlight the positive change taking place in Africa as we rebuke the stench of evils that thwart her progress. Please stay tuned.

The writer has sole responsibility for the post.

Douglas Ogutu is a gifted 

musician and writer

 at Dowe Music & Arts

Read More

Last week ended well with performance from Douglas, the CEO Dowe Music & Arts performing at the 2^nd Youth Symposium on Devolution. The conference dubbed, “Putting Youth at the Center of Devolution” saw young people from across Kenya and with diverse backgrounds learn a lot on matters governance.

 Ms. Caren Wakoli, the founder of Emerging Leaders Foundation emphasized the need for Kenyans to reconsider strengthening the family bond as a move towards sound leadership. She decried the erosion of morality in society and encouraged youths to go for value based systems rather than circumstantial decision making that influences Africa’s Constitutional Amendments.

Hon. Eugene Wamalwa, the CS for Devolution enlightened the youths about their rights within the counties and the country at large. He stressed the issue of citizens putting leaders on the spotlight with regards to the responsibility given during and after the elections.

All in all, it was a wonderful two day occasion with everyone pledging to move from just being sounding bells but being the real voice of change in a tag named: From Noise to Voice. The songs Say No To Poor Leadership and Carry On Africa graced the occasion leaving the participants with something to ponder. Here is what the event hosts talked about the performance. Authentic Music Appraised

Read More

Touch A Soul: 2019 Valentine Edition

Touch A Soul Banner Made By
Activate Graphic Solutions

Dowe Music & Arts Team with the children

With all the fuss on social media about the men’s conference on Valentines Day, we at Dowe Music visited beautiful souls in one of the slum areas in Nakuru. Located off town just near the Lake Nakuru Game park is a home with a courageous woman. Elizabeth (a.k.a Mama Ng’endo) is a lady full of compassion and love for the less fortunate. She houses sixteen abandoned children by either irresponsible beings of a human or because of the cruel hand of death.

Soon after our expedition at the coast last week, we embarked on a fund drive to facilitate the visit. Well, before I delve much into this, I must mention that this visit became more relevant because of the Human Centered Design approach we applied. By Thursday, earlier week, we had not yet found a suitable orphanage to visit. Bu suitable I mean a place where we would get all the children at the same time. Most of them had some children in boarding school.

I was privileged to participate in the MWF 2019 interview. It happened that the panelist came late. Instead of each of us minding our own business and rehearsing what to say as it always happens in most job interviews, I told the group of five sharp looking ladies and one Gentleman to turn the chairs around. We did our introduction and that’s how I knew Susan.

Susan

Susan is a soft spoken lady graced with empathy for the underprivileged. Despite having growing up in a middle class family and currently having a good job (Things I came to learn later after the visit), one can only wonder why and how she has a heart to take occasional visits to Mama Ng’endo and do shopping for the children. It was after everyone had shared their stories that I told Susan about my interest in her visits to the home.

For the past one year, I have come to appreciate the power of story-telling and connecting with people. Little was it known to me that the lateness of our panelists (We all know that it is not in an American to be late) was a divine chance for me to make contacts with great change makers. Thankfully, I have contacts of all of them: Orpah, a volunteer with G-Unite, Sakuda a founder of a High School, Birir a fellow Yali Nakuru Alumni and the founder of Go Green and Linda.

Back to the top story. We did chat with Susan and on asking how we might help the home, she had every detail on her fingertips. Normally, we always think of bringing clothes and sadly (or is it fate), those that are torn and want someone to take them instead of turning them into dusters. Susan gave me a list of things that the home was in dire need. On top of the list was that there’s a need for well- wishers and sponsors to help Elizabeth educate the children. Well, this would be beyond our scope as our company has barely broken even and it’s still taking off. However, what if by you reading this story you can give it a shot. You can get our contacts at the Dowe Music &Arts website.

Reaching out to the current class of students, they suggested a budget so we can do a one-month shopping. I was so excited for a bout ten seconds then a thought came. Who was going to foot that? These young people? Long story short, we set a target which was surpassed by about $20 (Ksh.2000). We are grateful to everyone including friends of Dowe Music &Arts (Those who are neither alumni or current students) for the support you gave.

Elizabeth "Mama Ng'endo at her home,
Sewage Area, Nakuru

We arrived safely on Thursday evening, 14 of February.  Mama Ng’endo gave a story that made all of us appreciate life. Her husband was brutally murdedered in 2007during the Post- Election Violence. They found his lifeless body lying in a trench. Well, I have been preaching peace and singing about it for long but for once I felt a deeper unction to do this more and more.

She picked up herself and thought about life and what lessons God had for her in the new status of widowhood. A thought of taking care of orphaned children came in. Being a Christian, she thought so little about her meagre resources and how she would cater for the children. Elizabeth narrated how sometimes she wakes up to a toddler as young as a month old abandoned at her doorstep. This was so heart breaking especially as I remembered Susan telling me a testimony of how a child was almost dying of malnutrition and now she was a bundle of joy, months later, in the hands of Mama Ng’endo!

After introduction and short speeches from both the visitors and the host, we had an awesome moment of acoustic guitar music. Our repertoire was graced with Paul Clement’s Amani, Angel Benard’s Siteketei and Kuliko Jana by Sauti Sol. This was the first for one of our students. As we went back to office, Ms. Waigi had a comment to make.

 I didn’t know it’s this nice to help someone less fortunate…thank you so much for organizing this.

Touch a Soul will be here again in a year’s time. Remember, at any point in life, there is always someone less privileged than you. Dare to touch a soul!

The writer of this post is the founder of 

Dowe Music & Arts and the 

frontier of Art4Leadership. 

He is a Yali Alumni based in Nakuru.

Read More

AFLEWO NAKURU 2018 REVIEW: WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Africa Let's Worship

Back Ground Vocalists

 A few months ago, I wrote about the wonderful activities AFLEWO Nakuru Chapter was doing in the community specifically the participation in the Agricultural show. Well, in today’s post I'll be giving a review of the major event, that is, AFLEWO Night 2018 vis a vis the same in 2016. I have chosen the two since I did not attend the one in 2017 due to some other commitments. Let’s look at a few pointers:

AUDITIONS

In 2016, I attended the auditions late in May. This means we had only three months to practice more than forty songs as well as carry out community service and ministry in different churches. You have to realise that practice only happens twice or at most thrice a month. That left us with less than twenty 10 sessions of real rehearsal. For musicians reading this, you must be aware of the 10,000 hour rule. What this tells you is that unless an individual disciplined him/herself to work on the music in their closet, our ministry would be nowhere close to excellence.

Chester (Left) With part of the Nakuru Leadership

Good news! In 2018, I think the process began immediately after the set down of the previous year’s major event. Word was already on social media about AFLEWO auditions. By late March, a team had already been formed and zealous young people were ready to voluntarily serve God and the community. I must applaud the leadership under Mr. Philip Kirui and Mr. Chester Omonde. There is a Swahili saying that goes thus, ‘Siku njema huonekana asubuhi,’ meaning that one can tell the goodness of a day just by how the morning starts. When I attended the auditions, I noticed a better plan. There were tables with panelists who sought to find out how committed the aspiring ministers were. This time around, there was a table auditioning those who wanted to join the band. This to me was a sign that things                                                                         had changed for the better.

THE BAND

Pastor Josh of Mavuno Church

 and his co-Mc welcoming the congregants.

I have already indicated that there was a deliberate plan to ensure that AFLEWO 2018 had instrumentalists who were committed to working with the rest of the team up to the end. Truth be told, in most churches, band members are usually left in their own class. Seldom do the choir/worship team think about their whereabouts provided they are good at their job. When discussing simple matters such as the uniforms, the band is normally left to do it’s mix and match style- perhaps because most bands are male dominated, and the notion normally is, aesthetics don’t really matter if your tune is good. Did you attend this year’s AFLEWO Night? These pictures can tell you how maroon colour beautified LCC Deliverance church on the night of 19^th October.

Unlike the case in 2016 where there was close to no clear band practice plan, this time there was. The emphasis here was not to seclude the band from the team but just to ensure a synchronous performance by the instrumentalists. As a matter of fact, we were required to attend the rest of the sessions with the other team members. This is where I give a pat on the shoulders of Music Team Leaders- Ibrah and Rose for the wonderful facilitation. The end result was that we had the same people who had been consistently attending practice ministering in the AFLEWO Night. Again, this was a plus to the organisers. Back then, we practiced only to realize on the night that there were ‘brethren-meant-for the-job’ while some of those who had labored especially the drums, keyboard and bass guitar became spectators and part of the congregation. Being a mentor myself, I admit that this broke my heart despite the fact that I was not among the spectators. I remember raising this point to one of the officials a few days after the event. Thankfully and to the glory of God, things were different in 2018.

Baraka on Semi-Acoustic Guitar

Bass Guitarist

Jose on Lead Guitar

Douglas on Violin

Erick on Drums

Above photos: Aflewo Nakuru Page

SOUND

Thursday, 8^th 2016 was the day sound set up was to be done. I am not perfect with time but I try keeping it especially when it is something that needs my attention. This was going to be my first time in Aflewo Night. I arrived at the venue at 5pm and saw no sign of sound set up. There was a fellowship in the church on going and there after, a lady friend came around where I was. She was also a member of the team. I realized there had been a hitch in getting sound and that meant the set up would be done on Friday. I had just bought a mic for my violin and really wished to find out how good or bad it was.  Come Friday, at around 6pm, I heard a statement that I think I never wish to tell any instrumentalist performing thus; “To all instrumentalists; you have to sort yourself out. Make sure you have the right cables and test your instrument.” Well, this was not a blatant statement especially in the way it was presented- with a smile. I tried my mic through the DI Box (see the picture below) and nothing was working.

Retrieved from Guitar Center

 Every one was busy with their stuff and seemingly there was no particular reference personnel to address our frustrations to. That was going to be a long night. I tried switching from violin to guitar and that is when I realized the DI box was faulty. The only remedy was to play the violin as it was and perhaps at the mercy of the vocalist mics to pick some of the vibrations. That meant I would use effort than skill to play the violin. I could not even hear myself.

The episode at that time made me realize that I had not also prepared well. It is not just enough to practice the notes. As an instrumentalist, you have to ensure that you have the right gear. When I went for the auditions this year, I had a new mic and two cables (which are always in my bag wherever I go), just in case one fails. I remember one official saying, “I think this is a different person from the one I saw in 2016” after I presented my favorite hymn, ‘At the Cross.’ I went with the cables to the Aflewo night and as I was unwrapping, the Technician came and gave me another saying, “use this.” The feeling was fantastic. The sound was on point and I almost thought there was a fellow violinist at the mixer who gave me just the right frequency and amplitude ( a post on these terms will be coming soon) leave alone the correct reverb effect. A big thank you to the Tech team among whom is a fellow church mate at Mavuno Nakuru, Mr. Patrick Omondi of RHEMA Production Studio.

GUEST MINISTERS

Imagine attending a worship night, you are fully socked into the event then all of a sudden somewhere around 11:30 everything stops. You see chaps on the pulpit moving around with cables, someone changing the drumkit, singers leaving the stage and others come and instead of continuing with the process, you hear this, “Sound Check! One! Two! Three! Hallelujah!” The process takes whole of your forty five minutes and boom! You hear a different kind of sound altogether. There were some squeaky sounds but now no more. The new team manages to bring back the atmosphere and somehow, you get back and even beyond where you were. Time flies and you realise it is already at 5 am. Time to go. How would you describe the event? Won’t you have a tale of two nights in one whereby the first one was a rehearsal?

Above is just a description I got from a friend of mine attending AFLEWO 2016. There was an awesome team from Nairobi that came to minister with us. Well, it was great having them. However, stopping everything in the middle of the service was the undoing. Logically, even if they would arrive late, it would have been prudent to send their system earlier with a person in charge so we could have a seamless transition. The point is that however much we had brethren who just worshiped regardless of who was leading, we are psychological beings and at one point we draw conclusions from the behavior of ministers on the pulpit. That tends to affect our focus on the prime goal.

Mr Kaberia, AFLEWO founder.

There were guest ministers in AFLEWO Nakuru 2018 worship Night. One was Mr. Kaberia, the founding leader of AFLEWO. During his ministry, you could tell his passion for a Godly African continent. He related with the youths and even led a song which they could dance freely as he reminded them that Africa needs their energy. The other two guests sang with the team too and a part from the different colors of their attire, you could not tell they were visitors from Mombasa. They did not even stop to say it.

A section of youths in dance

Part of the Aflewo patronage

Godwill Babete with Guest ministers

GOING FORWARD

We all start from somewhere. I can only say that there’s a great change in the organisation’s operations and if you had stopped attending due to some of the above challenges or even something else, I am optimistic that 2019 will be even greater. Basing on the improvement, we may be required to start looking for a bigger venue. Above all, whenever attending, remember the focus, the God we worship. For those attending as ministers, do your practice diligently; however, remember, it is not so much about the song, rather, the heart of service.

LCC Deliverance Church, Nakuru

The writer of this post joined AFLEWO in 2016.

He serves as a violinist and a guitarist and

 is the founder of Dowe Music & Arts

Read More

TEAM WORK! YALI TAUGHT ME

Hello friend! Three weeks ago, I put up a post on this site about the first encounter with the YALI RLC EA Cohort 28. It was a recount of the spectacular activities we went through at Bracken-Hurst hotel and Restaurant at Limuru, Kenya. Of course, every participant wishes we never left that place; however, we were recruits on a mission. Yes, we had to receive the African warm welcome before we step into the jungle. I mentioned how we had learnt teamwork, trust and commitment. Oh My! Little did I know that that was just theory and fun.

In the second week, we were introduced to our Challenge in which our client was Riara University. Francis Onditi PhD, Head of Department, School of International Relations and Diplomacy articulately stated two problems and since we were five groups in the Business and Entrepreneurship Class, we picked our challenges from ruffles. According to my ID, I belonged to Group O. While at Bracken-Hurst, I had identified two of my group fellows, Blandine Omuziranenge from Rwanda and Ellain Kiarie from Kenya. This made it easy for us to engage with the other four; Beniel- Tanzania, Jeremmie- DRC and Lencho-Ethiopia. We did a brainstorming exercise and we quickly could feel each other’s enthusiasm that brought about warmth in the group.

Following day, one of our facilitators, Mrs. Julie Ogwapit (MWF 2017) called out my name and said I would be moving from group O to L. Well, logically, this was reasonable since the latter group had 4 members, ours had 6 while the rest had 5. I don’t think either of the facilitators knew how this reshuffle had affected me since I take quite a while to study people before I become free with them. I really wanted to know why it had to be my name on that sheet of paper. Well, it would have been different if I had at least interacted with either of the team members. What can one do? This is the moment one recalls MR. Imran (Admissions Registrar); his face and warnings about deportation. For a Kenyan, that would be very easy. One just calms down and quotes the very official thus, “Do not let little things destruct you!”

It was in the Design Thinking Class a day after that I contemplated withdrawing. Now, this is a very awkward way of introducing a team but do you want to know what YALI taught me?  It is okay for things to go wrong. Don’t be quick to solve problems; observe first, read, and analyse, take a deep breath and a break if necessary. That is what I’m asking you to do now. The photo below displays the names of my new team and the role played by each one of them.

All of the young people in the above photos are individuals with differing aspirations, strengths, weaknesses and conflicting personalities. Most importantly, these are responsible individuals of diverse backgrounds with initiatives and/or studies they are pursuing. We are given the first practical exercise of how we might develop a saving culture among Kenyatta University Students and boom! Our personlalities can’t be tucked in! 

Diana, a fourth year Enginieering Student knows exactly what should be done. There’s no reason for circumnavigation stories. Nakwasa, an Agriculturalist from Gulu University seems to understand students’ behavior more than the rest. It is even a wonder why we went for the research in the first place. Yvette, the CEO of Connecting Dots and a student at African Leadership University is an iron lady. Dare not mistake her no for yes. Just finish all your discussions and if she finds it unworthy, you are on your own. Steve, (CEO, Kijijini Hub) is indescribable. You know those people, right? They’re very flexible, moving out of the group every five minutes, checking if the bus is ready, whether or not the facilitator is calling everyone back to the workstation, or better still, is it tea break? Now, Douglas has come in. He is simply a musician, though we know too, he is a frontier of Art4Leadership; a leaders mentor-ship program. He has had a journey in leadership. So, this won’t be a hard nut to crack for him, he can read from history. Needless to say, two of us are from without Kenya and even the three of us who come from within are from different counties with differing ethnography. You know that’s quite something in the current Kenyan society.

Design Thinking Day I
Photo:Robinson

Thanks to the High Spirited man, Mr. Daniel Fang our facilitator (and my mentor in Design Thinking) who cheered us up and made us see the end from the beginning, otherwise, the first exercise would have flopped. The clock is ticking, we are getting tired of the menu at KUCC and yes, something like love is budding among some young people but my heart is not yet settled. I like synergy, oneness, collaboration and joyful teams. My mind can’t keep of Mrs. Lydiah Munikah(MWF 2014)’s voice on the lesson about the contrast between a team and a group. I recall how in her facilitation the class was lively just the ending week. Her emphasis had been on each one of us understanding the purpose and being convinced that that common goal is achievable and just go for it. Only then can it be called a team.

Dear reader, let me just tell you that we operated as a group until the second last day to our presentation. The worst happened when the two facilitators noticed the coldness at our table. They had a mandate to push us, and sure, they did. However, the truth is, it would only take us and no one else to change us. On two occasions Julie suggested that we share a table during meals but then… ego is a real master. On the other hand, and this somehow acted as a unifying factor; we kind of came into agreement that the facilitators had started judging us based on their first impression of us.

That Sunday, we waited for feedback from our trainers. We were ready for hailstorms because once again, we all agreed that what we had presented was very sloppy. No one was willing to meet the other. I just let it lie. Do you wish to know the biggest hindrance to our progress? Basing on the profiles above, you can be sure it was not because of lack of ideas; rather, abundance. Each of us had a solution to the challenge presented to us by Riara University. It was a question of who is willing to let go  his or her wonderful innovation. However, from Humphrey and Mrs. Karimi’s 7Habits class, a compromise is an average man’s solution yet we all wish to be Highly Effective People. We had to go for the Third Alternative!

Photo After Design Thinking Class

It meant going back to the drawing board, preferring no one’s idea and assuming we had just heard of the challenge. The PowerPoint slides had to be restructured, a story had to be made a new, and all of us would now walk on a neutral ground. The environment became friendlier, we could make fun of each other. One of us who had sternly warned against meetings past 9.pm comes out saying we won’t sleep until everyone has mastered his/her part. This is the last night to the presentation day and we all have found a common goal: We Must Win This! The rehearsal takes us up to 11 PM and it is not a big deal since, we must win this!

Synergy Builds UP

Ready for the Challenge

I recall a few months ago when I was in an entrepreneurship workshop organized by the US Embassy at Nakuru. The group in which I was also the CEO, did not have much drama except for one lady who had much class knowledge that we had to wait for her to refer her notes before proceeding. We won stipend for our feasible idea. Looking back, YALI has taught me that perhaps the reason I thought I led well in that group was because we had known each other before since we were all locals from Nakuru. What if you are to work with people you least know about? Are you strong enough to know that your team can win even without your brilliant, ‘God-given’ idea? I have learnt, you are only as trustworthy as how much you trust others.

And The Winner Is...

Lastly, I really don’t understand how I became a CEO in a team I wasn’t part of in the first place. This, I can only say that God is using YALI on my trajectory. I am closely watching this pace. Are you a young person with aspirations to change your community? It is not just about the zeal, rather, you need skills. You need practical knowledge, you need challenging like minded people. Consider applying for the next cohort when the opportunity arises.

Gratefulness

N/B: Congratulations to YALI RLC EA on your commencement day! You all did well. To my friends in the Business Class, your presentations taught me a lot. Dowe Music & Arts is better now, let’s link up in our Art4Leadership Events. To my team BLOOM HUB, see where we ended! Let this never stop!

Let me leave you with a few more photos:

The writer of this post is the founder of 

Dowe Music & Arts, Based in Nakuru Kenya.

Read More

This Is Africa

This Is Africa

The writer at KUCC
Photo: Chris Bosire

A section of the participants after Design Thinking class

All is well that ends well. Week two was rather a tedious week at the Yali RLC East Africa especially for folks like me who had to tackle the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People for the whole of Saturday. Well of course, friends from the SDA either missed part or whole because of the calling to the almighty. I know this introduction sets a somewhat tiresome mood to discourage my reader from following but then, please, read on.

My week started on a high note if you may recall the Mimi naWewe tune that I had composed in the previous post. As it is whenever a track turns out to be inspiring, we want to make sure that all our friends get the message. For sure, I’m grateful to the Cohort 28 team and all others without the center for the support through compliments, watching, liking and subscribing to our YouTube Channel. You all made my otherwise packed week very smooth and educative. Much gratitude, and I should note in amazement for the facilitators Mrs. Sandra Owiti, Humphrey Anjoga and Rose Karimi for using the song as either a teaching aid or icebreakers during the sessions.

The three lessons for the week were:

 Design Thinking,

In this, the overriding question was: What Problem are you solving, who are you solving for? I must admit that this is a question that has caused sleepless nights in my stay here as I reflect on why Dowe Music & Arts exists. Basically, the course challenged me to design solutions (whether education or entertainment) with the end user in mind rather than my own experiences. Nasreen Dhanji and Daniel Fang, who were the facilitators did us justice by throwing us into the deep end of more practical and less talk. Nasreen said, “Ideas are cheap, anyone can come up with them, it is what you do with them that matters.” We couldn’t agree more, of course after the last day of our understanding.

This is Africa

Day three came with unmatched enthusiasm and joy unspeakable. Never have I seen a lady so passionate about Africa’s transformation like the facilitator of THIS IS AFRICA, MRS Sandra Owiti. Her demeanor goes before her to arrest your conscience and you can do nothing but listen to her and flow in the conversations she guides. The simple rule of “Don’t be defensive…” preceded our discussion on the stereotypes we have held about various African countries. Honestly, how we laughed about the weird things we hear about other countries without fear of judgement and/or myopic insecurities was just admirable. 

I can only wish that such can be the same case when people from different tribes of Kenya talk with an end goal of revolution and the fight against negative ethnicity. By the end of day two, we all had agreed that the statement ‘This is Africa’ is not a negative one as to connotate corruption, backwardness, wars and colonialism but vibrance of culture, hope, innovation, education, peace and the reverence of the almighty.

7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Few weeks before reporting to the center I had a glimpse into the book ‘7 Habits of Highly Effective People.’ Habit #5 (Seek First to Understand Then to Be Understood) stuck in my mind and was a great motivator for me to attend the program. I think, this book reshapes the mind. I just can’t quite grasp how Franklin Covey penned this down. Methinks it’s with the help of a higher hand- The Almighty. To be honest, the content therein is too rich to be covered in two days. Participants can only be fare to their budding brains if they take time after the graduation to read and meditate through. Dear reader, I’d recommend this a million times for you to get the copy. Once again thank you Mr. Anjoga and Mrs. Karimi for taking us through.

29^th Saturday, 2018. Have you watched a movie in which zombies are trying to fight to get to areas where social amenities are available? Such are the kinds of faces I’d see especially from my group as we ‘groped’ to the Restaurant for supper. One would thing that our heads had been filled up with gallons of gasoline for which we were told to carry carefully. Here we were, required to prepare for a music performance at the Deliverance Church in Kahawa Sukari, Nairobi the following day. I finished supper in my normal time and went the usual hostel balcony with my violin and guitar. Twenty minutes into our agreed time no one showed up. I kept rehearsing the song Mighty to Save by Michael W. Smith.  

However, after 10 minutes, we had a quorum of about 12 tired but enthusiastic beautiful and handsome youths rehearsing. After everyone got their part (not to professional standards though) I handed the guitar to a talented friend from Rwanda- Victor Pacifique.  

The presentation, according to Godfrey (YaliParticipant) and Madam Esther (PhD Student at Kenyatta University from Nigeria) our corresponded, the presentation was wonderful. One would think we were members of the same church. Just to reiterate, the photos you see below are for youths from about 13 countries in East and Central Africa, diverse spiritual backgrounds and cultures. My question to you is this, ‘When is it worship to you? Is it when you have members of your church alone? Is it when everyone is a regular church goer? Is it when everyone knows how to fast? THIS IS AFRICA!

Yali Rlc Cohort 28 performance at
 Deliverance Church, Kahawa Sukari

Godfrey (Front Left) Following the Sermon

Esther (Second Row Left) with the Yali Team

Yali Team after the church Service

Read More

YALI RLC East Africa Cohort 28: Hub of Inspiration

A section of Cohort 28 at Karen Shopping Center, during the cleanup on 22nd, 09, 2018

It’s only one week since the program began yet every participant has a bunch of stories, inspirational quotes, memories and moments to share. Well, when I started applying for the training, I was somewhat timid and unsure if the “serious-academic-like” program had any space for a musician like me. I remember at one point I just discarded my application and gave it a break till this year. 

The motivation came from the fact that in February, I was called for an interview for the Mandela Washington Fellowship (MWF, 2018). It was so influential that the regret letter that followed the interview didn’t deter me from anything worth trying. I will stop the description right here and just talk about Yali-Rlc EA, Cohort 28.

We arrived on Sunday 16^th and as usual I had beside my bag a violin and a guitar. Truth is, it always feels awkward when you imagine no one else will be carrying the “unnecessary” stuff that lag you. However, having some little knowledge in Swahili, I usually cling to the proverb mficha uchi hazai which means one can not beget a child if one conceals one’s nakedness. Since music is my profession, it’s my land and my economy, I dare not leave the tools of trade behind whatever the circumstances. My roommate, Mr. Desire (please pronounce in French) from Burundi arrived at 11.00pm, after I had finished my practice, that meant any discussion about the presence of music gadgets would be the following day.

The following day we had a whole day of orientation and this is where I began feeling home even though the rooms seemed small for a musical performance. Thankfully, and unbeknownst to me, my needs were catered for. This was not only an academic center, but also a holistic center where brilliance was understood not to be limited to papers and theories. Well, we got a little scared by one Mr. Imran, the head of admissions but I remembered campus life. Whatever face he put on was matching his job.

Mr. Francis led the orientation in the most effective way and when he announced that we’d leave Kenyatta University for Bracken Hurst Hotel, I recalled his friendliness and reached.

“Hello sir…, I came with my guitar and I’d like to carry it with me because I can’t stay two days without practicing,” I said, eyes full of hope and my face brimming. 

Whether it was for the presumption for him or the excitement of making it here I can’t tell. I just recall him saying,

“Sure, no problem.”

Bracken Hurst presented wonderful bonding sessions that helped us know one another before engaging in class work. As young people, we made friends quickly as it took just the first tea break to see small groups emerging and of course teams of pairs; I mean, ladies and gentlemen. The first exercise reminded me of the series ‘QUANTICO.’ We were told to find out from minimally five people various aspects of life. Two people came to me and asked me a question which I guess it was because they had seen me with a guitar. They forund out that I have no problem singing before people. That being my daily hope, what followed broadcast my passion to the whole team.

 Mr. Robinson from Uganda was the first one to finish the assignment. He read out my name and when the facilitator noted the characteristic, he asked me to prove. That’s when I recalled that we had left our luggage outside. He then pointed me to a grand piano on his right hand side! This was way beyond my expectation. We all know that such moments are never to be wasted. I went and introduce my song, SAY NO TO POOR LEADERSHIP. Since the lyrics are easy to follow, one minute was enough for the whole hall to be warmed up by the chorus.

I must say that the short presentation earned me friends (of course by God’s grace). Thereafter, there was a group of five to eight young people around the piano together with Chrispin a fellow Kenyan who had come with his guitar. We sang a few hymns and pop songs before I taught them what I called Stand for Change (YALI THEME). I started composing this song as soon as I got a congratulatory message from the admission desk, a month before. The chorus can be sung in English, Swahili and French and I just loved how the youths grasped and appreciated the lines.

The High ropes activities deepened our budding bonds the more as we learned the essence of trust, team work and the importance of daring to risk. I must admit this was something I had never tried and it was somewhat scary but eventually everyone pulled through. The last day at the hotel began with an exercise to solve an African problem. Our team, The lions had a skit, poem and a song which tackled illiteracy in Africa. Just to let you know, the song was composed within twenty minutes by a section of the team and the end f our presentation was not without everyone on their feet, dancing and singing thus:

We are the agents of a better Africa,

Educated Africa

The week ended on a pick as we learned the essence of an Inclusive society. The teaching on selflessness is never an easy one. However, the team must be applauded for the way the whole program is tailored to ensure everyone understands. On Friday, a challenge from Riara University was presented to us in our various groups. The day was a bit long as we took time to pitch ideas.

On Saturday, we were invited to participate in a clean up exercise at Karen shopping center which we did cheerfully. On the way to and from Karen, I couldn’t get mind of my new album called Ubuntu.

 The aim for this is to sensitize the society to go back to the basics of being human. We love technology and yes, it is very important. Even so, I am sure that I am not the only one under pressure to ignore the people around me while laughing with others I might never see overseas. Ubuntu is about Africa, love, community development and letting youths know that no one will create it for us.

As I reflected, I recalled the session on Social Inclusion by Mr. Moses Okumu. He emphasized the point that humanity comes first before we are anything else and that we are the ones responsible for the change we want.

 I hope my fellow leaders didn’t find it weird that I took a lone seat both ways. The result of that is a tune that I think is beautiful and educative as well as entertaining. In filling up my Ubuntu Album, I had the concepts, but I must admit, that for this song, it was not until this weekend that it came out. I’m so grateful that it comes out in the presence of leaders from East and Central Africa. God willing, Africa shall get the point home soon. You can get the song on YouTube by clicking Mimi na Wewe (Africa is Waiting for Us). The following people are highly appreciated for accepting to do the draft with me till 10:00Pm:

Stay tuned especially for the next three weeks. Lots of fun coming your way!

Ruth Lelei : Vocalist_Kenya

Tushabe Immaculate: Vocalist_Uganda

Chrispine Bosire: Vocalist/Guitarist_ Kenya

Josue Sincre: Vocalist/Video recorder_ Rwanda

Joseph Jinju: IT Support @ Dowe Music & Arts_Kenya

The writer is the founder of Dowemusic &Arts

Read More